NCIS
"Tim?" a woman's voice called through the blackness.
Tim groaned and sleepily lifted his head. A light and steady beeping sound helped to slowly lead him back to consciousness, and as he woke he felt the hand tapping excitedly on his shoulder. His body felt heavy and stiff, and his neck ached from drooping to the left while he slept in his chair.
"Tiiiiim, wake up!" urged the voice that he started to recognize.
"Abby?" he grunted and started to pry open his eyes.
The hospital room was dimly lit by the light from the hallway. The bed had been set to a near-upright position, but Riley was still firmly asleep in it. He was dressed in a hospital gown and covered up to his waist with a blanket, which also covered the tube attached to his right side and the IV drip in his right arm. A thin tube wound its way around his ears to below his nose, bringing oxygen to allow him to breathe more easily as he slept. Tim had positioned his chair so his right hand would intertwine with Riley's left, but he figured he accidentally let go when he had dozed off because Tim's hand hung limply aside.
After making sure that Riley was still in place, Tim blinked the sleep out of his eyes and turned to see Abby fidgeting excitedly beside him. The instant they made eye contact, Abby lunged at him and enveloped him in a hug, skillfully avoiding the gauze bandage on his left shoulder. Tim hummed happily and smiled as he received her vise-like hug and gave her an exhausted squeeze. Abby giggled quietly as to not wake Riley.
"Hey!" she whispered as she released him. "Tony said you'd still be here. How's Riley?"
He looked back to the sleeping man, then breathed in deeply and yawned as he sat up in the chair, his back feeling stiff. "The doctor said he'll be okay. The one bullet nicked the main artery in his thigh, and the other shots broke two of his ribs, one of which punctured his lung. He lost a lot of blood and his lung almost collapsed, but they think they got to him just in time. He's just sleeping off the anesthesia now, I think. What about you? What happened after the auction?"
Abby found another visitor's chair and pulled it over to sit next to him. "We got all of the data uploaded to ZNN and a couple of other news outlets, then we grabbed whatever else we could and left the office. With everything we got from OMNI's servers, there's going to be news stories on this for months, if not years."
"What about Cal? He's not here with you?" he asked.
She shook her head. "He said the Originals would have to stay in hiding until the dust settles, so he brough me here before taking off. He wouldn't tell me where they're going in case I have to testify, but at least he gave me his number. Oh! That reminds me…" she reached into her purse and pulled out a cheap prepaid phone. "Here. He gave me these to use until we all get our phones back. I already gave one to Tony and Ziva."
He examined the phone before pocketing it. "Where are they, anyway? Tony came in for a minute before he went back to Ziva's room. He said the doctors were just observing her after she lost some blood."
"Ziva's been released, and they're talking with Fornell and one of his guys just outside," she replied. "I'm hoping Fornell will give us a ride home. I'd hate to think of what a cab costs to get to DC all the way from Fairfax."
Tim chortled. "Yeah, just hopefully they won't take us in handcuffs. Our last few encounters with the FBI haven't exactly been friendly, even with Fornell."
She smiled cheekily, then pulled out a small black UV flashlight from her purse. "I already checked them. I'm taking no chances."
"I don't blame you," he smiled. "What about Gibbs? Have you seen him?"
Abby shook her head. "Just for a second. I gave him a hard drive with the entire Operative List. He's taking it back to Shepard now. Seriously though, the list was huge. It takes up the entire hard drive."
He nodded. "Did Gibbs talk to Fornell, too?"
"No idea," she shrugged. "But I'm not worried about him. I think we all know who's gonna be in the most trouble when the real questions start."
Tim grimaced and looked worriedly over at Riley, then back to Abby. "I know."
"Me too," Riley grunted sleepily, startling both Tim and Abby.
"Riley!" Tim gasped. His eyes brightened as he stood up and leaned over the side of the bed.
Abby rushed around to the other side of the hospital bed and clasped Riley's other hand. "Hey! Oh, I'm so glad you're okay! How long have you been up?"
Riley hummed and slowly inched his eyes open. "I'm not sure. I've been in and out a little bit, but I think I heard you come in."
Tim slipped his fingers between Riley's. "How do you feel?"
Riley looked up at him and gently squeezed his hand as his mouth slowly curled into a smile. "Better already."
"Oh god, here it comes," Abby groaned with a roll of her eyes.
Tim blushed and chuckled to himself, while Riley silently laughed and grinned.
"What?" Riley asked sarcastically. "How many times will I get to use cliché 'back-from-the-dead' lines?"
Abby smiled and shook her head. "Fine, you get just that one. Any more and I'll tell the FBI that OMNI was your idea."
Riley then looked over to Tim, and his smile slackened. "Did I hear you right? Is the FBI actually questioning the team?"
"Not exactly," Tim replied. "Fornell is an agent that Gibbs trusts, and Gibbs wanted him here to watch over us."
Riley tilted his head to the side and frowned with concern. "I'm probably going to get arrested at some point. I'm just not sure who's gonna be doing it."
"Don't worry about that now," Tim encouraged with a squeeze of his hand. "Something this big will take weeks to sort out. And you did a lot to expose OMNI and bring them down, so you've got that working for you. The good thing is that everything we know is already out there. OMNI will have no reason to come after any of us because the damage has already been done."
Abby gently rubbed his other hand. "And look on the bright side: You'll probably be suspended for a while, so you can spend that time rebuilding your motorcycle! I can even help!"
"Oooh," Riley cooed. "That sounds good. It'll also distract me from watching the news all the time. You know this will be all that the news stations talk about for a long time, right?"
Abby smirked. "The 6 AM news will be coming up in a few hours. I say we all watch it together?"
The three looked at each other with curious smiles, all wondering what the morning would bring.
NCIS
Gibbs walked the quiet halls of NCIS Headquarters with a heavy evidence bag in his hand. A few night shift teams were scattered across the building, including the one that was stationed next to the team's bullpen. He nodded to the others as he passed, then trotted up the stairs towards Shepard's office. Her secretary was gone, but the left door was partially open to reveal Shepard sipping on a glass of bourbon while gently pacing the office. She locked her gaze on him as he wordlessly walked in and placed the evidence bag on her desk with a thud. She chuckled to herself as she expected the hard drive to start doing something, yet it sat there idly without any sign of activity.
"That's it?" she asked curiously.
He smirked. "That's it."
She hummed and smiled with pleasant relief, then nodded over to the conference table. Gibbs took notice of a small brandy glass with a small pour of bourbon waiting for him, which he gratefully accepted.
"You know, I should send your team out on clandestine ops more often," she began smartly. "You took down OMNI after only three days while the FBI had this on their plate for months."
He shrugged. "It was slightly more complicated than that, and we had help."
She continued, "I'd like the short version before I get the full report. What happened?"
"You'd better sit down," he chuckled and shook his head, then took another sip as Shepard sat on the small couch. "We connected Agent King to both Alyssa Hames and Agent Riley Mathis, so we went to him first. He revealed the government's involvement in restructuring OMNI, proved that he didn't actually confirm Mathis' death, tried to kill us, and ended up shooting himself. We then connected him to Alyssa's boss, Cassandra Vianne, a former FBI agent who runs the data center and OMNI operations throughout DC."
"Huh," Shepard huffed oddly. "She's the one who contacted me. What happened with her?"
"She sent some corrupt cops, some bikers, and another FBI agent to kill us," he answered matter-of-factly. "Agent Walker, King's partner at the FBI. That's when Mathis appeared and helped us escape, while also killing Walker. We stayed with the Originals in an office in Capitol Heights, then made plans to raid the data center before their armed convoy got there."
She raised an eyebrow. "And Vianne, you didn't capture her?"
"No," he shook his head. "It was either arresting her or getting the list and the virus."
"Interesting," she replied with a hint of doubt. "I agree with your choice, though I find it strange that you, of all people, allowed the information to be sent to the press instead of bringing it in first. We don't know how much they've tampered with the list before it was given to you."
Gibbs chortled, then spun one of the conference chairs around so he could sit facing her. "I trust Abby and the Originals a lot more than I trust our computer systems. We hacked the FBI from Mathis' apartment using a bunch of laptops, and I doubt that NCIS is that much more secure. As if I needed another reason to hate computers…"
"And what about these Originals? You let them go even though they were also OMNI?" she added.
"Former OMNI, and they'll come if called," he answered confidently. "They want the list to be out there because it proves their innocence in all of OMNI's major criminal activity. What I want to know is how you managed to lose the auction, and how the NSA and the Chinese found out about it when we only told you."
Her stare turned icy, but she took a calming breath and finished her glass. "I told you that it would be difficult to ensure the wrong ears didn't hear this. Did you think that we could assemble two squads of Marines and have them flown out to Manassas on a moment's notice without attracting attention?" she asked as she walked over to one of her glass shelves to retrieve a bottle of bourbon. As she added another splash to her glass, she continued, "And it's not just the NSA or the Chinese that found out, you know. The Air Force Captain I spoke to said that they 'lost control' of their drone that flew out of Quantico and fired on the data center. You don't 'lose control' of an armed plane of any kind within 100 miles of the Capitol and not have it shot down instantly."
He nodded understandingly. "Someone let it get away."
She scoffed. "Jethro, this pile of crap that we're dealing with is so deep that there are going to be investigations just to see who gets to start the investigations. Then there will be Congressional Oversight Committees and all kinds of inquiries to untangle ourselves from OMNI. Then the real criminal hearings begin. Trust in the government will be at an all-time low across the whole damn country. You'll all probably have your reports memorized word-for-word by the time you're done repeating it for people."
"And your report?" he asked. "Your role as a 'buyer' won't get questioned but the other agencies' 'buyers' will?"
"Oh, I will be questioned," she answered confidently. "But we have logs and tapes of everything that happened. There's even a hole burned into the carpet in MTAC from the laptop trying to self-destruct after the auction," she snickered and smiled slyly at him.
He narrowed his eyes at her. "You don't seem all that concerned that a virus with the ability to track any cell phone, possibly even that of the President or his staff, is out there right now in the hands of the Chinese."
"You're right," she shrugged. "The Xīn Yuè isn't our concern at the moment. We have more immediate concerns within our own agency."
He frowned. "I never told you the names of the Chinese bidders."
She shook her head and continued her sly smile as she walked to the desk. "No, you didn't."
He followed her to the desk and put the pieces together in his mind as she picked up the bagged hard drive and locked it in one of her desk drawers.
"It was you," he deduced.
"Xīn Yuè," she pronounced in perfect Mandarin as she sat down at her desk. "It means 'Crescent Moon,' or at least I'm pretty sure it does. They were a small group of dissidents in China that were captured and executed years ago. But the name still rang a bell in a few foreign circles. It passed muster with OMNI, at least."
He set his glass down and leaned on one of the chairs in front of her desk. "Why?"
"Why?" she repeated. "You keep underestimating me, Gibbs. I'm not the kind to take only one bite of the apple when I can have more, especially for something as important as this program. I also wasn't about to trust that a criminal organization would let the government win in the first place, so it made sense to pose as another criminal organization just to make sure we had our shot. The stakes were too high not to."
"But now you and you alone have control of the virus, not even NCIS who I'm assuming paid for it?" he asked.
"It'll be where I want it to be," she explained irritably at his question of judgement. "For once, I share your concerns about cybersecurity, and I'm sure we're not alone in that. We both know the virus won't be safe here especially now that you tell me that the government helped make OMNI what it is in the first place. But rest assured, the program won't even be powered on until every single person on that list has been found. Abby's going to have a lot of explaining to do to get herself out of the line of fire for being one of the founders."
He frowned as his mind raced, then took another sip and stood up. "I'm going to need a favor."
She huffed disappointedly. "I told you what would happen if you tried to hold anything over me when this was over, and you have no card to play here."
"I'm not playing anything, Jen," Gibbs conceded. "I'm asking."
"Oh really?" she asked, her face clearly showing that she wasn't convinced. "For Abby?"
"No," he corrected. "Agent Mathis."
She tilted her head to the side. "The same Agent Mathis that had you ready to kill me in cold blood?"
He shrugged indifferently. "After I found out that you watched him die and didn't try to stop it, yes."
She studied him, then continued. "You know, I've thought a lot about that day. I don't think I've ever seen you react that way for anyone, even against Ari after he killed Agent Todd right in front of you. And now you're asking me for a favor-"
"Do you have a point?" he interrupted.
She smirked knowingly. "Well, he obviously isn't an ex-wife, otherwise you would've been thanking me instead. So, who is he to you?"
His eyes narrowed. "It doesn't matter. What matters is that he's the shooter from our case, and he's killed over twenty people, including FBI agents, with the only justification being that they were working for OMNI. But he also was traumatized by them after being kidnapped, and he saved the team twice while exposing OMNI to the world. He deserves whatever help we can give him."
She was visibly taken aback, and her mouth hung slightly open at the unusual request. "I see. You think I can grant him some kind of immunity?"
"A fair trial after he fully recovers from his injuries," he countered. "Even with this list of operatives, they're going to be looking for someone to take the blame, and he's an easy target."
She nodded. "Fine, but on one condition."
His lips twitched just barely into an expectant smirk. He tilted his head to signal that he was waiting.
"Your trust," she answered. "I think I've earned it by now."
He chuckled disbelievingly and stood up, then picked up his glass and lifted it in a toast. "Long live the Queen," he replied, echoing a pledge he spoke to her once before, then drained the last of his bourbon. He nodded to her, then headed towards the door.
"He's your weakness, Gibbs," she called after him. "Don't let it show."
Gibbs paused, then turned back to her. "They all are, but they're also my strength. Don't forget that."
NCIS
Tony sprinted down the hallways of the hospital muttering "Hot! Hot! Hot!" as he bounced a steaming bag of microwave popcorn back and forth between his hands. He hissed as he tore open the bag and was hit with a wave of steam, but his pace quickly left the steam behind as he rounded through the door into Riley's room. Inside, the air buzzed with anticipation as the team was assembled and faced the TV mounted on the wall. Riley wolfed down his breakfast while Tim sat next to him on the edge of the bed, Abby and Ziva talked quietly in their seats next to the bed, and Gibbs leaned against the wall with his arms folded. The harsh fluorescent lights lit the room as the morning light wasn't strong enough at 5:59 AM.
"Did it start? Did I miss it?" Tony called as he slid around the bed into his seat.
"Not yet," Tim replied excitedly, his smile widening as he watched the commercial.
Abby chuckled disbelievingly to herself. "I never thought I'd be this excited for the morning news."
"MMM!" Riley grunted through a slice of bacon, then quickly clicked the remote to turn up the TV volume. "Here it is!"
The entire room silenced and the whole team seemed to lean forward simultaneously, all of them completely glued to the program. After the theme song for the news station played, the familiar news anchor appeared with a look of intense focus.
"Good morning and welcome to the ZNN 6-o'clock news. I'm Andrew Julius. This morning we have a special report on what has now been confirmed as terrorist activity in Manassas, Virginia, along with shocking evidence of an organized crime conspiracy within the federal government to create the terrorist group now known as OMNI for use within the country and abroad."
The room erupted in cheers and hoots as the broadcast continued.
"-received reports of gunfire and explosions at Chronology Data Center. What we now know is that federal authorities from the Navy Criminal Investigative Service, or NCIS, raided this data center after finding it to be a central operating hub for OMNI, the terrorist group that has gained recognition after being tied to the brutal murders of two FBI agents and causing waves of mass violence across Texas. NCIS agents defended the data center and were pinned down by an army of OMNI terrorists, who allegedly stole an Air Force Unmanned Aerial Vehicle and used it to perform a missile strike on the facility with the NCIS agents inside. Armed Forces shot down the UAV and secured the scene, and the NCIS agents wounded in the attack were rushed to a local hospital."
Abby cackled. "HA! Hear that, Riley? You're with NCIS now."
Riley grinned and squeezed Tim's hand as they watched.
"An anonymous source unleashed what can only be described as the largest and most serious leak of classified data since the Pentagon Papers in the early 1970's. The leak contains damning allegations of the federal government's involvement not only in the CREATION of OMNI, but also its continued support and organization of OMNI's crimes. These alleged crimes include, but are not limited to, the creation of a computer virus capable of tracking mostly any device with a GPS signal. While conspiracy theories have long-suspected that 'Big Brother' has been illegally tapping technology-laden devices, analysts were able to authenticate several documents that were included in the leak, which legal experts say will severely damage the credibility of the agencies involved.
"Prominently included in the leak was also a dossier of HUNDREDS of alleged active OMNI terrorists, many of whom work within federal agencies such as the FBI, CIA, NSA, and nearly every branch of the Armed Forces. The dossier also displays clear orders for the murder of several government agents, officials, politicians, and other American citizens. Legal analyst Emily Sonderheim is joining us this morning as we continue to dig further into this disturbing discovery. Emily?"
The screen split to show a woman to the right of the reporter.
"Good morning, Andrew. It really has been an intense few hours as we process the immense volume of information. We've only scratched the tip of what we can only guess to be a very large iceberg, and I can tell you that we've already confirmed the authenticity of several documents that report to authorize the funding of certain known criminals in order to form OMNI. I have to say… even finding a fraction of these documents to be true is very disheartening because it gives that much more credence to the rest of these, as you put it very well, damning allegations that even connect to members of the United States Senate."
Riley exhaled and slouched in utter disbelief as the report continued on. "Holy shit… it's really starting."
"It really is," Tim agreed in a similarly shocked state as he kept staring at the TV.
Gibbs smirked. "Don't get too comfortable getting information from the TV. We're the ones that actually have to close the case, and that'll mean a lot of time at your desks and the most detailed reports you'll ever write."
Tony frowned and swallowed a mouthful of popcorn. "What do we say about King?"
"The truth," Gibbs replied simply.
Ziva looked around at the others. "It was an undercover operation, so it's not as if Shepard never authorized it. And King killed himself after attempting to kill Gibbs and McGee."
Tim clenched his teeth and looked worriedly at Riley. "What about you? You… well… you shot King, too, and we have a lot of evidence that pertains to you."
"I know," Riley quietly admitted. "We knew it'd come up eventually. Don't leave a single thing out just to protect me, okay? We'll deal with it."
Tim squeezed his hand. "Okay. But you know I'll have your back no matter what."
"Yeah," he smiled.
A knock at the door drew the team's attention. Special Agent Fornell and another FBI agent walked slowly into the room bearing uncomfortable but serious looks on their faces. At first, Gibbs waited for Fornell to lock eyes with him, however the other man's gaze landed on the man in the bed.
"Agent Mathis," Fornell began. "I'm glad to see that you're alright. As you can imagine, we have a lot of questions about what you've been through."
Gibbs stepped away from the wall and towards them. "Are these official questions, Tobias?"
Fornell nodded. "Afraid so. Looks like you've already seen the news. The Bureau is trying to get a handle on what happened to King and Walker, so now that they know Mathis is alive, they're hoping to hear his side of the story."
"Is that all?" Gibbs asked with a raised eyebrow.
"For now," he answered doubtfully. "We'll need the room."
Gibbs stared at him for a moment, then looked at the others and nodded towards the door.
Tim looked nervously at Riley, who swallowed anxiously and stared at the agents as the others got up to leave. He looked over to Fornell.
"I'd like to stay if that's alright," he asked. "Riley's been through a lot lately, and it's best if someone he knows is here."
"Tim," Riley whispered and brushed his thumb over Tim's hand. "It's okay. I… I'll be okay, I think."
Abby reached into her bag and pulled out her UV flashlight and approached the other FBI agent.
"Ma'am," he protested. "You already looked a few hours ago."
"Yeah, so you already know what to do," Abby quipped with a sly smile.
The agent huffed and pulled up his sleeves for Abby to check them for an OMNI tattoo, then pulled down his collar for her to do the same with his neck.
"You too," she ordered Fornell, who chuckled and submitted. Satisfied, she gave Riley a thumbs-up. "All clear."
Riley smiled genuinely and chuckled. "Thanks, Abs."
"You're sure about this?" Tim asked.
Riley shrugged. "A little bit more since she checked them. Otherwise, no. But you should go anyway."
Tim tried to smile encouragingly, then in front of the others he brushed his hand over Riley's cheek and gave him a light kiss. Riley nodded into the kiss and nuzzled himself against Tim's face. Tim felt wrong leaving Riley there, but he knew he had to. He slowly pulled away and stood up.
"I'll be just outside, okay?" he offered to Riley.
"Okay," Riley smiled nervously. "Love you."
"Love you too," Tim whispered, then nodded at Fornell as he walked past. He hesitated before letting the door close all the way, then took a deep breath and let it click shut.
NCIS
Three Weeks Later
"It's been one heck of a month, Andrew. The public outrage regarding OMNI has exploded over the internet, and even printed media companies have dropped everything to cover what's now being called "Government-Organized Crime." Four senators and seven congressmen have already been arrested for suspected ties to OMNI, and sources claim that not only are dozens of government employees who were on the OMNI payroll now missing, but more than five others have been found dead. Citizens are now wondering whom to trust when it comes to upholding the law, and a survey conducted shows that people don't believe that true justice will come of the many hearings and trials that are already scheduled."
"Thanks, Emily. Since the leak of the OMNI documents three weeks ago, Wall Street has taken several hits due to people dumping their government bonds and funds out of mistrust. In the last week, the industry-changing iPhone has seen its sales grind to a near-halt as more and more people opt for simple phones in the wake of more evidence of illegal GPS tracking. While the alleged tracking virus has yet to be found or even confirmed to exist, many people aren't taking any chances. Some people, however, continue to support the affected companies and keep up with the latest technology with the response that they 'have nothing to hide.' More on the impacts from the scandal, we go live to our Houston affiliate, Jenny Blake."
"Thanks Andrew. Newly unearthed documents reveal a surprising twist in the convoluted story of OMNI, that in fact it was intended to aid the economy through the regulation of crime, and in many cases actually succeeded. Economic advisors and analysts are in conflict as evidence has tied gangland money to development of affordable housing for inner-city families, as well as the improvement of facilities and schools in cities such as Houston, New York, Philadelphia, and even Washington, DC itself. Officials are now much more cautious about scrutinizing any and all sources of income for these projects, but they are at a loss of what to do with what's already been funded. One thing has been agreed upon, however, that no matter the intent of the organized crime syndicate, the funding of these programs does not justify murder."
Tim clicked off the TV in his bedroom and resumed buttoning down his shirt. Jay looked strangely over to him as if he were actually watching the news and was interrupted. He ruffled Jay's fur happily, both quite glad he was back home, but he returned his attention to the task at hand.
"Ugh," Riley grunted from the bathroom. "For a second, I thought they were going to make OMNI out to be some kind of benevolent charity."
"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Tim asked while slipping on his sports jacket.
Riley emerged from the bathroom in one of his usual black FBI suits, though the shirt was loose and unbuttoned, revealing the brace he wore around his torso. "Like I have a choice? It's an official hearing. I have to prove I didn't go completely rogue."
"Yeah, but you're not even fully recovered yet," Tim argued.
"I want it over as soon as possible," Riley replied. "Besides, PTSD takes a lot longer to treat than broken ribs. Can't wait forever. It took the FBI this long just to find qualified people that weren't involved with anyone on the list. They're pissed that I didn't follow contact protocols after being kidnapped, and they even froze the trust for the cabin to make sure I didn't run while they sorted themselves out. Seriously, I'm the one they need to be pissed at?"
Tim huffed. "I just wish my publisher could hold off. I really want to be there when you're done just in case the worst happens."
Riley shrugged, then finished buttoning and tucking his shirt. "Babe, don't worry about it. I'll be tied up for hours at least."
"Honestly, with everything that's happened, I had completely forgotten about the book," Tim continued as he brushed some dog hair off of Riley's suit. "But Lyndi said it couldn't wait and she needed to see me. It'll probably be a waste of time, anyway. She's probably just going to tell me the book flopped."
Riley smirked. "Well, if Queen Lyndi Crawshaw, the Empress of Publishing,dumps the book, then I'll buy a copy just so no one could say it was a complete failure."
Tim chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Gee, thanks! I'm still surprised she picked me up again after Gibbs put her through Interrogation last year."
The knock at the door was met with Jay barking and jumping off the bed.
"That's my ride," Riley grimaced nervously.
Tim nodded and gently embraced Riley. "I'll follow you there, then I'll head off to the meeting," he whispered, then kissed him tenderly on the lips.
Riley smiled and savored the kiss. "I love you."
"Love you too," Tim hummed. "You've got this."
They walked together to the front door. Tim looked through and saw it was Fornell, so he unlocked and opened the door.
"Ready?" Fornell asked once he found Riley.
"Yep," Riley replied, then squeezed Tim's hand as they left.
A black FBI sedan was waiting for them as they walked down to the parking lot. The skies were cloudy and the air was cool. Tim sprinted to his Porsche so he could quickly pull out and follow the car. Since Riley's release, his apartment had been sealed off because it was once again a crime scene where the team was illegally arrested. This didn't bother either of them, especially since doctors advised Riley not to live alone while his ribs and lung healed. Riley had yet to be reinstated with the FBI, but after giving his statement to Fornell, he was assigned one of their trauma therapists to treat him on a weekly basis.
Tim followed the car until it reached the FBI Headquarters garage. Satisfied that they made it safely, Tim then set his GPS to his publisher's office. Like many, he felt too skeptical to go back to a new iPhone while knowing that the virus and its programmers were still out there. However, after fiddling with the clunky GPS interface, he realized how much he missed that phone. The large office building bustled with traffic, but only a small section was devoted to Crawshaw Publishing. He walked through the familiar hallways and past a few offices until he reached the tall wooden desk of Miss Crawshaw's secretary, Todd.
"Mister Gemcity!" Todd squealed as Tim approached. He leapt up from behind the desk and whisked around to greet him. "Miss Crawshaw is waiting for you. Is there anything you need?"
Tim tried to put on a smile, though he felt anxious about what was waiting for him in the next room. "No, thanks. I think I'm okay."
"Alright," Todd replied, then took another step forward. "And if I may… I just… wanted to say, thank you."
He blinked with surprise. "For what?"
Todd grinned excitedly. "I read your book, and… it was amazing. I honestly doubt that there's anyone in the world who couldn't tell I'm gay, but it was nice to see something like this, like the relationship you portrayed, to actually be out there as part of regular life and not just as a joke. But real. So… thank you."
A warm feeling rushed through Tim's chest and up through his face, bringing a relieved smile to his flushed face. He sighed happily. "You're welcome. I'm-I'm so glad that you liked it."
"Loved it!" Todd squeaked. "Could… could you maybe…?"
Tim grinned embarrassedly when he understood, then nodded. Todd raced behind his desk and pulled out a printed copy of Deep Six: Rock Hollow, then scrambled around his desk for a pen. He all but shoved the book into Tim's hand, then fidgeted excitedly as Tim scribbled his signature inside. Tim hadn't seen the cover art for the book before, but he was impressed with the sight of a black rose placed artfully beside a federal badge.
"Thank you, thank you!" he called as he whipped back around to his desk. "She's ready for you!"
"Thanks, Todd," he replied, and opened the frosted glass doors to Crawshaw's office with renewed confidence.
Her office was just as he remembered it, with floor-length windows on once side and a wall of awards and portraits, including his, on the other. The office was furnished with a leather sofa against the windows, and two chairs that faced an executive desk. Other than the heavy, black combination-locked metal drawers, the office was brightly decorated with plants and lamps. Behind the desk sat a slender, brown-haired woman with piercing eyes that moved quickly across the manuscript on her desk.
"Timothy!" she called as she stood up and looked at him. "I'm glad you finally had time to stop by. I was worried when I couldn't reach you."
Tim recognized the slightly forced welcoming tone in her voice as the 'coddling' that she reserved for her authors. He knew that underneath lay a woman who lived for success and was viciously good at achieving it.
"Yeah, it's been an interesting few weeks," he replied.
She gave him a knowing smirk. "Yeah, this OMNI stuff is almost all the news can talk about right now. You're probably going to be busier than ever."
He nodded. "Yeah, actually I am. I need to be somewhere in a bit."
"Of course, of course," she gestured to a chair in front of her desk. "Well, let me bring you up to speed."
He braced himself for the bad news as he sat.
"You did it, yet again," she grinned.
His eyes went wide. "What?!"
She nodded. "I know I was hesitant at first, but it's honestly your best work yet, especially better than what you started writing last year. Rock Hollow hit the shelves last week and already sold out at over 150 Barnes & Noble's, and I've gotten four calls for interviews. You're Todd's freakin' hero!"
"Oh my god," Tim sighed heavily, and he slid down further into his chair.
"I know," she continued with her smile. "That 'Ryan Matthews' must be one hell of a guy to inspire you like this. I hope you're planning on keeping him around."
Tim smiled, still in delighted shock. "Yeah, that's… that's definitely the plan."
She chuckled, "Good. Well, different direction or not, you've got my full weight on this book. I normally wouldn't make any promises when it comes to sequels, but I have a feeling this one will beat out even the first Deep Six, and that's saying something."
"You really think so?" he asked, no longer detecting her usual signs of coddling or prodding.
She smirked and opened one of the desk drawers, then retrieved a white envelope and handed it over to him. He ripped open the top carefully and pulled out what appeared to be a check. His eyes shot open when he read the amount.
"That's… a lot of zeroes," he noted in an almost mesmerized tone. "This is from only one week of sales?!"
She laughed. "No, but it's an advance that you never asked for. Think of it as a sign of faith on my part that we'll keep this going, plus a little bit of apology sprinkled in for doubting you."
His heart cartwheeled in his chest and he broke out laughing.
NCIS
Tim stared at the white marble floor in one of the halls at FBI Headquarters. Shoes clicked as people walked by, but he never looked up unless he heard a door open. Somewhere down that hall, though he wasn't sure which room, he knew Riley was facing a review board and couldn't help but wonder how he was doing. Even with the fantastic news from his publisher, the long period of waiting in the hall had set his gut on a nervous edge again.
A door opened down the hall and caught his attention. He looked over and saw a pair of agents walking out, followed by Riley and another agent following rather closely behind him. Riley wore a pensive scowl on his face and his fists were clenched.
"Riley?" Tim called as he stood up.
Riley gave a distressed sigh as he saw Tim, and all four agents stopped. As he drew closer, Tim realized that the agent behind Riley had a grip on him by his upper arm.
"What happened?" he asked.
Riley grimaced. "Well… I guess the good news is that they're not charging me with murder since Hall's been proven to have attempted to kill Abby and the rest of the team. Instead they want to charge me with aiding a criminal conspiracy."
"What?!" Tim nearly yelled. "That's crazy! You fought OMNI!"
"I know," Riley grumbled. "And they know formal charges won't stick and they'll never be able to get a conviction. But they can give me a slap on the wrist since I won't tell them where the Originals are now."
Tim's stomach sank. "So they're arresting you?"
"House arrest," Riley clarified. "And since they've sealed my apartment, the only place I can go is the cabin. They won't accept that I don't know where the Originals went after leaving the office, and they even threatened to put a hold on my reinstatement if I didn't comply. I told them that if they have to resort to threats like that, then they're no better than OMNI and that I have no intention of coming back to that."
"You quit?!" Tim's jaw dropped.
"Yeah…" Riley replied but gritted his teeth. "Probably wasn't the best idea right before going into house arrest with no internet or computers allowed. That'll make job-hunting a little hard until this gets resolved. Still… all they're really trying to do is punish me and get me out of the way. Kinda the story of my entire career with the FBI, really."
One of the agents grumbled. "Let's get a move on. We've got a long drive."
As they pushed him forward, Riley called back to him, "Can you get some of my stuff from your place and bring it by later?"
Tim nodded and shouted, "Ok, I will!"
They disappeared around a corner, and Tim's mind raced as to what to do. House arrest was considerably better than Riley being in prison with people he potentially put there, but there was no way of knowing if the FBI would find something more serious to pin on Riley instead. Tim made his way down to his car so that at the very least he could get some clothes from the apartment. He hadn't gotten to share his exciting news with Riley about the large check from his publisher, though now he was almost afraid to since Riley had just quit and needed to be smart about his money until he found a new job. His first thought was to give Riley the entirety of the check, but he knew Riley would never let him, or worse, would find a way to sneak it back to him.
On the drive home, Tim wondered what he'd do if on house arrest with not even a computer around. He supposed that he would write for a considerable amount of that time, but that would eventually get tiring. Movies were also of interest, and Tony would always have one or ten to recommend. He remembered that Riley shared his love of books, and that Riley had a collection of them, though most of them were trapped in his sealed apartment. That's when the thought occurred to him of what he could do to help.
NCIS
Tim pulled into the long driveway of the cabin. It was nearly dark when he reached Bentonville, and he could see the lights from the living room shining through the large windows of the house. He remembered how upset he was the last time that he was there, which was nearly a month ago after being told that Riley was killed. Now, going over the same roads with the same metal bridge, and seeing the same house as that time, he breathed sighs of relief that he'd only have to live through that once.
Jay whimpered in the seat next to him as he parked, and Tim quickly let him out of the car to relieve himself at the nearest plant. He opened the trunk to retrieve a full duffel bag of Riley's clothes, but also picked up a folder that he carried in his other hand. He slid open the front doors and called for Jay, who bounded quickly inside.
"Tim?" Riley called from the living room.
"Honey, I'm home!" he snickered, having always wanted to say that. "Don't get up!"
While Tim dropped the bag and folder off in the kitchen, Jay trotted ahead into the living room where Riley greeting him with unintelligible cooing and babbling. Tim chuckled as he saw Jay already make himself at home on the rest of the couch, leaving Tim to sit alone on the couch across from them. The coffee table was stocked with a fresh potted plant, an open beer bottle, and a tower of thick books.
"You know," Tim started with a grin, "I wasn't sure if you'd lose your mind or be in absolute heaven being stuck up here with no computer and no motorcycle."
Riley chortled sarcastically. "Oh yeah. I've got my whole week planned out. I'm going to see which type of alcohol pairs best with every Steven King novel."
Tim broke out laughing. "I'm almost jealous."
Riley rolled his eyes, then stood up from the couch and planted right foot down onto the coffee table. Around his ankle was the unmissable band of a GPS locator. "Well, the new jewelry doesn't reach down to the pool, so I can't open it or clean it. I never really used my computer here, so that's no biggie, but my dad's bike is gone forever. Even though I can't ride it right now, I definitely miss it."
Tim stood up and gently embraced him, mindful of his injuries, then gave him a gentle kiss. "Actually, I have some good news that might help with that part. My publisher told me that the book is selling really well in the first week," he explained. "So well that she gave me a $50,000 advance."
"Holy shit!" Riley yelped and threw his arms around him. "That's awesome! Congratulations!"
Tim lightly squeezed him. "Thanks, but I didn't do it alone. I was thinking maybe we could pick out another motorcycle for you to build while you're stuck here."
"Tiiim," Riley groaned. "I don't want you to buy me a motorcycle. Besides, you actually wrote the book, not me. All I did was give you some feedback, screw around with you, and eat pizza."
"Come on," Tim chuckled. "I want to do something to pay you back. There wouldn't be a book without you."
Riley narrowed his eyes at him, then they started glistening with an idea. "I'll think about it, but if we do anything like that, we split the cost in half. You may be rich author-man and I may be a shining beacon of unemployment, but you don't owe me anything. Okay?"
Tim frowned sarcastically. "Are you going to be this difficult when it's time to get you something for your birthday?"
"Oh, I'm the worst at receiving gifts," Riley taunted before giving Tim a quick peck on the lips.
"So I'm noticing," Tim noted. "In the meantime, I brought your clothes and a little surprise for you."
Riley cocked up an eyebrow. "Oh really? A surprise?"
"Yeah, come on," he nudged him towards the kitchen. "Are you allowed to leave to go to the store or did they completely confine you here?"
"For basic grocery shopping, I can go out," Riley replied as they walked. "I also have to drive to my therapy sessions all the way back in DC once a week, and I'll be tracked every inch of the way. Then of course to my job once I find one. Want a beer?"
"Sure," Tim smiled. "You're not looking for a job in San Jose, California by any chance, are you?"
Riley smirked knowingly. "Well, that would be true to my character now, wouldn't it, Agent McGregor? It would also require internet access for me to look out there, so I think we're safe from your book's ending."
"That's Special Agent to you, Mister Matthews, now that you've quit the Bureau," Tim jeered at him. "Although, you could be a Special Agent again if you wanted."
Once again, Riley gave him a surprised look. "What do you mean?"
Tim nodded at the folder. "Take a look."
Riley swiped up the folder and scanned over it. His eyes widened and he drifted backwards until he hit the kitchen counter. "Wait… are you serious? You want me to apply for NCIS Cyber Crimes?"
Tim grinned and stepped closer. "You told me how much you regretted leaving. I even ran it by Abby, and she said it'd be a great idea."
"Mmm…" Riley hummed as he leaned back and reminisced. "And it's not like we'd be really working together, so…"
"The Gibbs Rules," Tim recited, "I thought of that too. Come on, please say yes?"
Riley grimaced. "I don't know. The FBI's not really gonna give me a glowing recommendation. Plus, there's the fact that I'm, I dunno, under arrest?"
"You also worked with NCIS before, and you were so good at it that you got yourself onto Gibbs' field time on your first time out," Tim argued.
Riley considered it, then gave him a sly smile. "You're just going to keep buttering me up until I surrender, aren't you?"
Tim smirked. "I have a couple of dirty tricks of my own."
"I'm getting that," Riley agreed, then slowly walked around the counter to move closer. "You really want to run into me every day at work? You want to plan whose place we'll go to on any given night? Keep more suits at my place while I keep some at yours?"
"Yes," Tim smiled as he slipped his hands around Riley's waist. "Every day. I think we're owed that chance to live a little bit, don't you?"
"Yesss," Riley hissed as he nuzzled into Tim's neck.
Tim kissed just above his ear and continued, "And maybe the world will calm down just enough to let us go out on a date once in a while."
Riley let his hands roam across Tim's body. "Do you think tonight you might be able to stay?"
"Mmm," Tim hummed. "I can do that."
The seductive smile Tim sorely missed returned to Riley's face as they slipped their fingers together.
"Good," Riley whispered. "It sounds like we've got a lot to celebrate, and I know a place with the best view I've ever seen."
"Oh?" Tim hummed. "I don't think it can get much better than where I'm standing."
"Trust me, it can," Riley replied with a grin as he tugged him towards the stairs.
EPILOGUE
Tim skipped up the stairwell that had become so familiar to him in the past few months. It was a warm Saturday afternoon, and he couldn't wait to change out of his work clothes into some shorts. He could've easily run home first, but he was sure he had a pair of shorts at Riley's since a Saturday run had become part of the weekly pattern for him, Riley, and Jay. As he breezed down the hallway, he noticed a small package leaning against Riley's door. It was small and square in shape, and it seemed rather light to necessarily be dangerous. He swiped it up as he entered.
The room glowed warmly with a golden-yellow hue as the sunlight reflected off of one of the walls that Riley repainted to bring some color into the apartment. The black and white kitchen now contrasted starkly against the brightly colored table and furniture dotting the rest of the room. Picture frames displaying Tim, Riley, and others shook as Jay thundered across the apartment from his favorite chair to meet Tim at the door.
"Hey, buddy!" Tim grinned as he ruffled Jay's ears. "Babe, you home?"
"Yup!" Riley called. "Folding laundry!"
Tim continued inside and heard the sounds of cheering erupt from the stereo. Jay had become a frequent visitor at both the apartment and the cabin, with neither Riley nor Tim wanting to have to leave him with a sitter just to have time together. Tim loved the new look of the apartment compared to its old black-and-white theme. Within a week of being freed from his house arrest and being allowed back into the apartment, Riley couldn't stand the colorless look of the place anymore and copied the same golden-yellow paint from the cabin's kitchen onto the outer wall of the apartment. The changes in furniture came next, as did more personal decorations.
In the bedroom, Riley stood in front of the bed wearing just his boxer shorts while folding laundry and grumbling at the baseball game playing from the stereo. Tim paused to admire the man, and as he so often loved to do, he traced Riley's griffin tattoo down his back towards the treasured butt that he got to enjoy on a much more regular basis lately. There was a scar on the right side of Riley's chest where he had his surgery, though it was now mostly healed. He had been able to his workout routine and managed to keep his muscles built to his liking.
"It's nice to hear something on the radio other than repeats of the same news about OMNI," Tim commented as he snuck up behind Riley and enveloped him in a hug.
Riley smiled and swayed in his arms. "Well, now that most of the Regional Directors and other key gang leaders have been rounded up thanks to that list, there's not much else to report. Even with how badly the Yankees are playing this season, they're still more newsworthy than OMNI nowadays. I'm willing to bet the Red Sox will head to the World Series."
Tim raised an eyebrow. "And we don't like them, right?"
"No, not a chance. I still have to get you to a baseball game sometime this summer," Riley winked.
Tim laughed. "I think Jay would probably get more out of a baseball game than I would, but thanks anyway. You think he'll like our little project when it's done?"
"Oh, for sure," Riley replied. "A '98 Pontiac Trans Am was definitely the right choice for a 'house arrest project,' and it's much better than a motorcycle because all three of us can actually enjoy it."
"More like 'Summer project' since you make every possible excuse to run out to the cabin to 'tweak' something," Tim snickered.
Riley playfully thudded his elbow back into Tim's gut and returned to folding laundry. "I still have a few parts to get to get the AC running properly, then it should finally be done."
"Is that what this is?" Tim dropped the package on the bed.
Riley looked strangely at it. "What? No, I didn't order anything yet. Did you?"
Tim shook his head. "No. It was sitting outside."
Riley examined it, then looked for a return address which he found written in permanent marker. "Handwritten address out of New Jersey. I don't really know anyone there, but whoever they are, they don't seem to be trying to hide."
Tim shrugged. "Let's open it."
Riley retrieved some scissors from a drawer and cut through the tape holding the box together. He reached his fingers inside and pulled out a thick, round plastic disk whose entire top seemed to be a rounded, dome-like button with a Batman logo on it. The two of them stared confusedly at the device, and Riley studied it as Tim looked into the box to see if there was anything else.
"A Batman button?" Riley muttered. "Wait, there's a USB port on the side of this. I think it connects to a computer."
Tim felt around inside the box, then found a small business card inside. It was blank on one side, then on the other side he found a note handwritten in pen.
In case you ever need us.
– Cal
The two of them stared at each other, then at the device with wonder.
Tim and Riley will return in "The Grace Code"
A/N
Thank you all SO much for reading. This was a massive story that's taken 2 1/2 YEARS to write, and I'm really hoping that you all enjoy how it finally resolved. I so appreciate my regular reviewers, LeiruB, Momcat, and DS2010 for all your reviews and insights, as well as everyone who kept up with this very LONG fanfic. Your continued readership kept me fueled enough to keep publishing chapters and keep this story going! After a short break to get my batteries recharged, I'll be collaborating with LeiruB on a separate McNozzo project, possibly also remastering the "Scruffy" series with what I've learned from writing "0MN1," then work on "The Grace Code" will begin!
Thank you all again with all my heart!
Much love,
NiMH